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A SKETCH 



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LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES 



OP 



WILLIAM H. HARRISON; 



COMMANDER IN CHIEF 



OF THE NORTH-WESTERN ARMY, 



DURING THE WAR OF 1812, &c. 



PROVIDENCE: 

PRINTED BY KNOWLES AND VOSE. 

1840. 



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WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 



When a man has been selected from among the people, 
as a suitable candidate for any important office in their 
gift, it is no more than common jnstice to all parties, that 
his fellow citizens should be supplied with some authen- 
tic information respecting his past life. It is right and 
proper that they 'should know what services he has ren- 
dered to his country, what public stations he has held, 
.and with what fidelity and uprightness he has discharged 
.the duties of those offices, with which he has been in- 
trusted — that, furnished with this information, they 
may be enabled to form a fair estimate of his abilities, 
and of his usefulness and integrity in his future career. 

The prominent position now occupied by General 
Harrison before the American people, renders it peculiarly 
proper that a, brief sketch of his life and public services 
should be laid before his fellow-citizens ; for although 
his public acts, both in a civil and military capacity, have 
been for the lasting glory and honor of our whole country, 
yet in consequence of his having resided for the greater 
part of his life among the patriotic and chivalric inhabi- 
tants of the v/estern states, they are more familiar with 
his history than those who reside in the east and north. 
It was this acquaintance with the man, or rather — to make 
use of the endearing appellation by which he has been 
universally known — it was this acquaintance with the 
Washington of the West, that has there produced such a 
general and ardent feeling in his favor ; that the people 
iiave, in despite of party dictation, borne him triumphant- 
ly along, for the highest office in their gift, until there is 
now no doubt but that he will be elected by a most 
decisive majority. 

It will be apparent that our efforts to compress the ma- 
terials of his eventful life, in the compass of a few pages, 
has compelled us to omit all those minute illustrations of 
particular facts, which have in reality given to his life all 
the beauty of romance. To see a youth of eighteen years 
of age, leaving his kindred and friends, and paternal roof, 
and inspired by a lofty patriotism, marching into the say- 



age wilderness, and battling with the enemies of his coun- 
try ; and then in a few years to find him in the councils 
of the nation, exerting himself to promote the civil in- 
stitutions he had so gallantly defended in the field; and 
then again leading the armies of onr country to victory at 
the dreadful midnight conflict of Tippecanoe, and at the 
hard-fought seige of \Fort Meigs, and the still more bril- 
liant victory of the Thames, — together opens a field for 
meditation, which it is impossible to express in the few 
pages we have devoted to the history of his life. To 
have pursued a subject of this kind in all its details, would 
have loeen grateful to our feelings, but the brevity of our 
plan will forbid it. We must leave the reader to fill up 
for himself the many omissions we are compelled to 
make. 

W'c ought to state that this compilation is principally 
taken from the valuable and authentic history of McAflee 
on the late war, and from the excellent biographical 
works of Dawson and Judge Hall. 

William Henry Harrison, was born in Virginia on the 
9th of February, 1773. His father, Benjamin Harrison, 
was one of the patriots of the Revolution. He was a very 
distinguished member of the first Congress of the United 
►States, which met at Philadelphia in 1 774, and was oneof 
the most conspicuous of the signers of the Declaration of 
Independence. He afterward rendered important services 
to his country by his energetic and patriotic measures as 
governor of liis native state, Virginia. This eminent 
patriot died in 1791 ; leaving his son AVilHam, under llic 
guardianship of his friend, the celebrated Robert Morris. 

Young Harrison was educated at Hampden Sydney 
College ; and, by the advice of his friends, turned his at- 
tention to the study of medicine. But about the period 
when he had com])leted his education, soon after the 
death of his father, the increased and barbarous hostilities 
of the Indians on the northwestern borders, began to ex- 
cite a feeling of indignation throughout the whole coun- 
try. In this general excitement our young student par- 
ticipated so warmly, that he resolved to relinquish his 
professional pursuits, and join the army destined to the 
defence of the Ohio frontier. 

The war in this part of our country was then assuming 
a very alarming aspect. The Indian tribes, who had been 



5 

in the service of Great Britian, dLiriiig our revoluticnary 
struggle, had not yet laid down the tomahawk ; but still 
persisted in their ruthless hostilities, and in the almost 
daily commission of their savage atrocities. From the 
year 1783, when Great Britian aclcnowledged our inde- 
pendence, and war with the mother country ceased, up 
to the year 1791, it was estimated that more than fifteen 
hundred of our hardy borderers had fallen victims to the 
rifle and scalping kniie of their savage foes. Our north- 
western frontier presented an appalling scene of rapine, 
conflagration, and wanton destruction of life and proper- 
ty. Many of our border settlements had been crushed 
in their infancy, and all had been retarded in their growth. 
Expedition after expedition, fitted out to oppose them, 
had met with the most disheartening losses; and finally 
a gallant army under Brigadier General Harmer, which 
had been sent expressly to chastise these savages, had 
been signally defeated by them, and almost annihilated. 
Of the few experienced officers, who had escaped from 
Harmer's defeat, nearly all, worn out with the fatigues of 
a service so harrassing, and shrinking from a warfore of 
so dangerous and barbarous a nature, had resigned their 
commissions ; and a feehng of dismay began to pervade 
the whole community. 

Such was the gloomy aspect of afl"airs, when the ar- 
dent and generous patriotism of young Harrison promp- 
ted him to give up the comforts and luxuries that 
surrounded him at home, and peril his life in defence of 
his fellow-countrymen. 

He received the commission of an ensign in the United 
States artillery, in the autumn of the year 1791, when 
only eighteen years of age ; and hastened immediately to 
join his regiment, which was then stationed at Fort 
Washington. He arrived at [that post a few days after 
the unfortunate defeat of General St. Clair, near the 
Miami villages, by the confederate Indians under the 
command of the celebrated chief. Little Turtle. This 
disastrous defeat, in which St. Clair's army was destroyed, 
with a loss of nearly twenty thousand men, killed or ta- 
ken prisoners, left the whole of our northwestern frontier 
exposed to the ravages of a merciless enemy, and added 
greatly to the general consternation before existing. 

In this state of things, our government caw the necessi- 



ty of adopting immediate and efficient means to put an 
end to this savage conflict. An army was promply raised, 
and the command given to General Anthony Wayne — a 
gallant and skilful officer, who had earned a brilliant re- 
putation in the Revolutionary War. Wayne's Legion, as 
his army was called in the new organization, assembled 
at Pittsburg, in the summer of 1792; and in the ensuing 
month of November, they left that place, and went into 
winter quarters, at Legionville, on the Ohio, 22 miles be- 
low Pittsburg. 

About this time Harrison was promoted to a lieuten- 
ancy ; and shortly after, he joined Wayne's Legion. His 
fearlessness and energy, with his strict attention to disci- 
pline, soon attracted the notice of his commander-in-chief, 
himself a bold and daring soldier and rigid disciplinarian; 
and General Wayne, not long after his arrival, selected 
him as one of his aids-de-camp, at the age of nineteen. 

We have entered thus minutely into this detail, because 
we wish to point out at how early an age, and in what 
trying times, young Harrison was thought worthy of 
honorable distinction. 

Lieutenant Harrison acted as aid to General Wayne 
durins the whole of the ensuing campaigns ; and his 
bravery and gallant conduct throughout were such, that 
he was repeatedly officially noticed in terms of the high- 
est encomium. The war was conducted by General 
Wayne with all the cool daring of a veteran soldier, and 
the sagacity of a prudent general — until finally, on the 
20th of August, 1794, he fought the bloody and desperate 
battle of the Miami, in which the confederate Indians, 
with their allies, were totally defeated. Their heavy 
losses in this battle so disheartened the Indians, that, a 
few months after, they entered into negociations for a 
treaty of peace, giving hostages for their good faith — and 
thus, with the close of this war, were extinguished what 
may be considered the last embers of our revolutionary 
struggle. In his despatch to the Secretary of War, after 
this decisive victory. General Wayne, in mentioning those 
whose good conduct made them conspicuous on this oc- 
casion, says— '"My faithful and gallant aids-dc-camp, 
Captains De Butts and T. Lewis, and Lieutenant Har- 
RisoN, with the Adjutant-general, Major Mills, rendered 
the most essential service, by communicating my orders 



in every direction, and by their conduct and bravery ex- 
citing the troops to press for victory." 

Soon after this battle, Lieutenant Harrison received the 
commission of a captain, and was placed in command of 
Fort Washington— the most nnportant station on the 
western frontier. He remained.in the army till the close 
6f the year 1797, when, as there was no longer an oppor- 
tunity to serve his country in the field he resigned his 
comrnission, to commence his career of civil services.- 
He was almost immediately appointed secretary, and, ex- 
oficio, heutenant^governor of the Northwestern territory ; 
which then embraced the whole extent of our coun ry 
Winf northwest of the Ohio river-^thus receiving his 
fiVs" dvil appointment in that part of the country which 
he had perilled his life to defend. , • , ,, :,, 

While in this station, he entered so warm y into the m- 
terests of the people, and his intelligence and the kindness 
and urbanity of his manners rendered him so popu lai^ that 
whe in the following year, they became entitled to a 
representation in the councils of the nation, they almost 
unan mously elected him their first delegate to Congress 
Mr Harrison was, at this time, about twenty-six years of 

^^He took his seat in the House of Representatives, at 
the first session of the sixth Congress in December 1/99 
There were then in Congress some of the ablest and mos 
enliXIned statesmen, and some of the most eloquent 
^en our country has ever produced. Yet in this severe 
"d kl he abUhies and manly energies of Mr. Harrison 
soon commanded universal respect. At this period, the 
Sl-engrossing subject in the West, and one in which our 
whok country had a deep interest was the sale of our 
public lands. The manner in which these lands had 
been hitherto disposed of, had created great dissatisfaction 
amon^ the people. They had been sold only m large 
tracts; the sma^Hest of which, included, at leas , four 
thousand acres. Our hardy yeomanry, with limited Pe- 
cuniary means, were thus shut out from all chance of 
competition with wealthy speculators and grasping mon- 
oriists in the purchase of these lands-the poorer emi- 
Ss we e becoming disheartened at the chilling pros- 
S before them, and the settlement of the new country 
was greaUy retarded. Fully aware of the impolicy and 



s 

injustice of this state of things, and true to the trust cou- 
fided in iiim, Mr. Harrison's earliest legislative efforts 
were made to overthrow this pernicious system. He 
aroused the attention of Congress to the consideration of 
this important subject, and evinced so intimate an ac- 
quaintance with the facts, and business details connected 
with it, that he was appointed chairman of a committee 
raised to examine into and report on the existing mode of 
disposing of the public lands. After a proper investiga- 
tion, he presented a report, accompanied by a bill, the 
principal object of which was to reduce the size of the 
tracts of public lands offered for sale, to such a smaller 
number of acres as would place them within the reach 
of actual settlers. This masterly report, which was the 
joint production of himself and Mr. Gallatin, together with 
the great ability and eloquence with which he defended 
his bill from the powerful oppositition it encountered in 
the House, gained Mr. Harrison a reputation rarely at- 
tained by so young a statesman. The bill was carried 
triumphantly in the House, and finally, after some amend- 
ments, passed the Senate. The result was, that the pub- 
lic lands, instead of being offered only in large tracts, of 
which four thousand acres was the smallest size, were 
now to be sold in alternate sections and half sections — the 
former containing 640, and the latter 320 acres each. — 
The point gained was of immense importance, since, from 
the low price of these lands, and the small amount of pur- 
chase money required to be paid, they were «now within 
the reach of nearly all the poorer emigrants and actual 
settlers, who felt a natural desire to own the fee simple 
of their homes, and of the lands they subdued from the 
wilderness. Thousands of the hardy and industrious 
farmers of the Northern and Middle States, and many of 
the poorer planters of the South, availed themselves of the 
fair field which was now opened for emigration and en- 
terprise ; and we may justly consider this happy result, 
which Mr. Harrison was so instrumental in producing, as 
one of the leading causes of the rapid settlement and 
prosperity of our Western country. 

In the year 1800, the Northwestern territory was divi- 
ded. That part of the old territory, included within the 
present boundaries of Ohio and Michigan, retained its 
former name ; and the immense extent of country north- 



west of this, was made a separate territory, and received 
the name of Indiana, Soon after this division had tak^n 
place, Mr. Harrison resigned his seat in Congress, and was 
appointed governor of the new territory. This appoint- 
ment gave great satisfaction to the people of Indiana, with 
whom the patriotic exertions of Mr. Harrison had render- 
ed him deservedly popular ; and it was, at the same time, 
the strongest evidence of the confidence with which the 
General Government relied upon his integrity, prudence, 
and capacity for civil government. 

The extent of Indiana was almost boundless. The 
small population it then contained was thinly scattered 
through a vast wilderness, and only three settlements of 
any note existed within its territory. One of these was 
at Vincennes, the capital ; another at the Falls of the 
Ohio, one hundred miles distant from Vincennes ; and 
the third was on the Mississippi, at the distance of more 
than two hundred miles from the capital. The commu- 
nication between these remote places was, at all times, 
difficult and toilsome, and often attended with great dan-- 
ger. There existed no practicable roads, and nearly all 
the intermediate country was occupied by the Indians, or 
overrun by their hunting parties. Most of those savage 
tribes, though professing to be friendly, were restless and 
dissatisfied ; and their leading chiefs nursed a moody 
hope of revenge for the mortifying defeat they had sus- 
tained, six years before, at the battle of the Miami. Art-r 
ful and treacherous, numerous, warlike, and thirsting for 
plunder, they kept this remote frontier in continual ex- 
citement and alarm. The angry feelings of our hardy 
borderers were frequently roused by some robbery or 
atrocious violence committed by the more evil-disposed 
among their savage neighbors, and quarrels often ensued, 
which threatened the peace of the whole community. 

Such was the existing state of things in Indiana Terri- 
tory, when Mr. Harrison was appointed to the administra- 
tion of its government. As governor of a frontier territory 
so peculiarly situated, Mr. Harrison was invested with 
civil powers of the most important nature, as well as with 
military authority. Besides the ordinary powers which 
he held ex-officio, as governor, he had the sole power of 
dividing the district into counties and townships, and was 



10 



appointed the general surperintendent of Indian affairs.— 
He had likewise the unusual power of conferring on a 
numerous class of individuals a legal title to large grants 
of land, on which they before held merely an equitable 
claim. ' His sole signature was sufficient, without any 
other formality, to give a valid title to these extensive 
and valuable tracts of land. Possessed of this immense 
power, opportunities were continually before him of ac- 
cumulating a princely fortune ; but the scrupulous sense 
of honor, which has always characterized Mr. Harrison, 
would never permit him to speculate in lands over which 
he had any control. And it is a fact worthy of note, that 
durint' the whole time that he held this important trust, 
he never availed himself of his peculiar advantages to ac- 
quire a single acre of land ;— no shadow of suspicion ever 
doubted his disinterestedness, and not a murmur ever ac- 
cused him of partiality, or even of unnecessary delay, m 
performance of this delicate duty. We mention this on- 
ly to show, that the integrity of Mr. Harrison is not 
merely theoretical but practical ; and that it has always 
shone with the purest lustre when assailed by the strong- 
est temptation. 

In 1803, Mr. Jefferson appointed Governor Harrison 
sole "commissioner to enter into any treaties which may 
be necessary with any Indian tribes, northwest of the 
Ohio, and within the territory of the United States, on 
the subject of their boundaries or lands." By virtue of 
this, or a similar authority, during the subsequent course 
of his administration, Harrison effected thirteen impor- 
tant treaties with the different tribes, on the most advan- 
tageous terms ; and obtained from them, at various times, 
the cession of large tracts of land, amounting, in all, to 
more than sixty millions of acres, and embracing a large 
portion of the richest region in our country. 

In their frequent intercourse with Governor Harrison, 
the Indians had learned to respect his undaunted firmness, 
and Avere, at the same time, conciliated by his kindness 
of manner and considerate forbearance. This, with his 
intimate knowledge of the Indian character, is the true 
secret of the remarkable success that has uniformily at- 
tended every treaty he has attempted to effect. 

The various and arduous duties of the governor of In- 
diana required, for this office, a man of verij superior ahih 



11 

itles—one possessed ol' stem integrity and prudent mod» 
eration, accompanied by the most unwavering firmness. 
Such a man Governor Harrison, in the long course of his 
administration, fully prove himself to be. The plainest 
evidence of this, to those who are not familiar with the 
liistory of Indiana during this period, is the fact, that, for 
thirteen years, at every successive expiration of his term 
of office, he was re-appointed, at the earnest soliciation of 
the people of the territory, and with the public expression 
of the most flattering approbation on the part of our chief 
executive. And this too notwithstanding the entire 
change which had taken place within that time in the 
ruling politics of the country — his first appointment hav- 
ing been made by Mr. Adams, his second and third by 
Mr. Jefferson, and his fourth by Mr. Madison. The fol- 
lowing extract from the resolution, unanimously passed 
by the House of Representatives of Indiana, in the year 
1809, requesting the re-appointment of Governor Harri- 
son, Avill show the estimate which a long acquaintance 
had taught them of his worth : — 

"They (the House of Representatives) cannot forbear 
recommending to, and requesting of, the President and 
Senate, most earnestly in their own names, and in the 
names of their constituents, the re-appointment of their 
present governor, William Henry Harrison, — because he 
possesses the good wishes and affections of a great major- 
ity of his fellow-citizens ; — because they believe him sin- 
cerely attached to the Union, the prosperity of the United 
States, and the administration of its government ; — be- 
cause they believe him a superior degree capable of pro- 
moting the interest of our territory ; from long experience 
and laborious attention to its concerns, from his influence 
over the Indians, and wise and disinterested management 
of that department ; and because they have confidence in 
his virtues, talents, and republicanism." 

If necessary, we might fill a goodly volume with ex- 
tracts from public documents of a similar nature ; but 
what stronger proof than this could we have of the popu- 
larity of Governor Harrison, and of the entire confidence 
with which the people relied on his integrity as a states- 
man ? 

In the year 1805, the celebrated Indian chief, Tecum- 
the,.and his notorious brother, the Shawanesc prophet, 



12 

Ol-li-wa-clii-ca, (sometimes called Els-kwa-tavv-a,) began 
to create disturbances on the frontier of Indiana. Te- 
cumthe was a bold and daring warrior ; sagacious in 
council and formidable in battle. The prophet was a 
shrewd impostor ; cunning, artful and treacherous ; and 
they were leagued together by the tie of mutual interests, 
and common hatred to the whites. The object of these 
crafty intriguers was to form, by their own influence and 
the aid of foreign emissaries, a combination of all the 
Northwestern tribes of Tndians^ — with the hopes that by 
a simultaneous attack, they might destroy all the whites 
or force them from the Valley of the Mississippi. But 
their designs were soon known to Governor Harrison, and 
aware of his dangerous situation, his prudence and wise 
policy enabled him, for several years, to hold his savage 
neighbors in check. The following extracts from a 
speech, which he delivered before the legislature of In- 
diana, in 1809, will serve to show how fully he under- 
stood the nature and cause of the excitement then ex- 
isting among the Indians — "Presenting as we do, said 
Governor Harrison, "a very extended frontier to numer- 
ous and warlike tribes of aborigines, the state of our re- 
lations with them must always form an important and in- 
teresting feature in our local politics. It is with regret 
that I have to inform you, that the harmony and good 
understanding which it is so much our interest to culti- 
vate with those our neighbors, have, for some time past, 
experienced a considerable interruption, and that we have 
mdeed been threatened with hostilities, by a combination 
formed under the. auspices of a bold adventurer, who pre- 
tended to act under the immediate inspiration of the Deity. 
His character as a prophet would not, however, have giv- 
en him any very dangerous influence, if he had not been 
assisted by the intrigues and advice of foreign agents, and 
other disaffected persons, who have for years omitted 
no opportunity of counteracting the measures of the gov- 
ernment with regard to the Indians, and filling their nat- 
urally jealous minds with suspicions of the justice and in- 
tegrity of our views towards them." 

Two years subsequent to this, in 1811, from petty ag- 
gressions, the Indians proceeded to more open violence, 
and acts of decided hostility. The war whoop was 
again heard yelling within the limits of the territory, and 



13 

every day brought fresh accounts oC the {)€rpelration of 
those atrocious deeds of depredation and murder, which 
always give the lirst intimation of a savage '.var. From 
motives of humanity as well as policy, Governor Harri- 
son had always endeavored to av^oid a war with the In- 
dians ; but when this result became luiavoidablc, he 
promptly adopted the most energetic measures within his 
limited resources, to place the territory in a posture of 
defence. At his own earnest request, and at the solicita- 
tion of the people, the President, soon after, directed him 
to march with an armed force toward the principal place 
of rendezvous of the hostile Indians, the Prophet's town, 
en the Wabash, near the mouth of the Tippecanoe — 
where this crafty imposter had assembled a body of more 
than a thousand fierce w^arriors, ready to obey his will. 

Governor Harrison imnicdiately assembled five hun- 
dred of the militia and volunteers of Indiana. These 
with a regiment of United States infantry, consisting of 
three hundred and fifty men, commanded by Colonel 
Boyd, and a small body of volunteers from Kentucky, 
constituted his whole available force — amounting in all 
to about nine hundred eftectivc men. As soon as he had 
disciplined these troops, and trained both regulars and 
militia in the Indian mode of warfare, he took up his hue 
of march towards the Prophet's town. 

He left Fort Harrison, on the Wabash, about sixty 
miles above Vincennes, on the 28th of October, 1811. 
Profiting by his own early experience, [this was seven- 
teen years after the battle of Miami,] and the remembered 
example of his old friend and commander, General Wayne, 
his march through a wild country to Tippecanoe, was 
conducted with so much skill and prudence, that he 
avoided all danger of ambuscade or surprise from the 
savage foe. On the 6th of November, the army arrived 
within five or six miles of the Prophet's town. Accord- 
ing to the instructions he had received from the Presi- 
dent, Governor Harrison immediately sent in a flag of 
truce, to endeavor to open an amicable negociation with 
the hostile Indians. To this overture, the Prophet re- 
turned a deceitful reply — he professed the most ])acific 
mtentions, and agreed to meet Harrison the next day in 
council, with his chiefs, to settle definitely the terms of 
peace. But Harrison knew too well the treachery of his 



14 

artful antagonist to allow hiiii.seH to be eleccived by his 
specious ])rofessioiis, or lulled into any fancied security. 
He carefully selected the most eligible position for his 
encampment, and ordered his troops to lie upon their arms 
all night, that they might be in readiness, at a moment's 
warning, to repel any sadden attack of the enemy- The 
sequel proved that these precautions were wisely adopted. 
An anxious night passed away without interruption; but 
about four o'clock, on the following morning, two hours 
before daylight, a sentinel at one of the outposts discov- 
ered an Indian creeping stealthily towards the camp. He 
immediately gave the alarm, and almost at the same in- 
stant, a strong body of the enemy rushed towards the 
encampment, with the most savage yells. They made 
a furious charge on the left of the camp; and so sudden 
and desperate was their onset, that the guard stationed in 
that quarter, gave way, at first, to their fierce assailants. 
But these brave troops soon rallied, and retrieved the 
ground they had lost. The camp-fires were extinguished 
with all possible haste, and the battle was now waged on 
more equal terms. Our gallant troops fought with the 
most daring intrepidity, and their savage foes evinced a 
desperate valor worthy of a better cause. The battle 
raged with great fury till the dawn of day, when a sim- 
ultaneous charge was made upon the enemy, on either 
flank, and they were speedily put to flight, with great 
loss, and the battle terminated. During all this time, the 
false Prophet had been seated at a safe distance from the 
field of battle, chanting a war song, and promising victory 
to his deluded brethren. 

The battle of Tippecanoe was one of the most spirited 
and best fought actions recorded in the annals of our In- 
dian wars. The number and the weapons on either side 
were nearly equal ; and the Indians, contrary to their 
usual custem, fought hand to hand, and with the fiercest 
bravery. Every man in the battle encountered his share 
of danger, but no man was in more pers-onal peril than 
•Governor Harrison himself — 'Well known to many of the 
Indians, and the object of their peculiar attack — his fear- 
less and unshrinking exposure, makes it seem almost a 
•iTilEacle that he should have escaped unwounded. In 
•referring to the coolness and intrepidity of Governor 
Harrison, on this occasion, we cannot rcfrain from making 



15 

the following extracts from a journal pul.lished in 1816, 
by a private soldier, who fought in this battle, and who 
could have had no interested motives for his publication : 
"General Harrison," he says, "received a shot through 
the rim of his hat. In the heat of the action his voice 
was frequently heard, and easily distinguished, giving his 
orders in the same Cahii, cool, and collected manner, with 
which we had been used to receive them on drill or pa- 
rade. The confidence of the troops in the General was 
unlimited." The same writer, in speaking of Harrison's 
kindness to the soldiers, and his influence over them, re- 
marks: — "He appeared not disposed to detain any man 
against his inclination ; being endowed by nature with a 
heart as humane as brave, in his frequent addresses to 
the militia, his eloquence was formed to persuade ; appeals 
were made to reason as well as feeling, and never were 
they made in vain." 

An incident that occurred at this time, is worth record- 
ing. The night before the battle, a negro man belonging 
to the camp, who had been missing, was arrested near the 
Governor's marquee, under very suspicious circumstances. 
He was tried by a court-martial for desertion to the ene- 
my, and for an attempt to assassinate the Governor. 
Sufficient evidence was found to convict him, and he was 
sentenced to death ; yet such were the humane feelings 
of Harrison, that he could not induce himself to sign the 
order for his execution. As the criminal attempt had 
> been made against his own life, he felt himself privileged 
to exercise his benevolence towards the off"ender, and the 
misguided wretch was sufl:ered to escape the just punish- 
ment of his crime. It would have been more in accord- 
ance with the principles of strict justice, to have allowed 
tWe law to take its own course in this instance ; but the 
circumstances of the case were very peculiar, and Gov- 
ernor Harrison's conduct evinced a magnanimity and 
humanity of heart rarely equalled. 

The importance of the victory at Tippecanoe, cannot 
be too highly esteemed. It quelled the haughty spirit of 
the discontented and hostile Indians, and defeated the 
plan, Avhich they had almost matured, of attacking and 
destroying our scattered border settlements in detaih 
Had we lost this battle, our army must have been annihi- 
lafecl the whole extent of our defenceless; frontier would 



16 

Irave been loft to the mercy of sanguinary and unsparing 
savages, and the consequent loss of life, and destructioi* 
of property would have been almost incalculable. 

The President, in his message to Congress, dated De- 
cember 18th, 1812, makes the following honorable men- 
tion of this battle: "While it is deeply lamented," says 
Mr. Madison, "that so many valuable lives have been lost 
in the action which took place on the 9th ult., Congress 
will see, with satisfaction, the dauntless spirit and forti- 
tude victoriously displayed by every description of troops 
engaged, as well as the collected firmness which distin- 
guished their commander, on an occasion requiring the- 
utmost exertion of valor and discipline," 

The Legislature of Kentucky, at their ensning session, 
expressed their high sense of Governor Harrison's good 
conduct on this occasion, by the following complimentary 
resolution : 

Resolved, That in the late campaign against the In- 
dians, on the Wabash, Governor W. H. Harrison has, in 
the opinion of this legislature, behaved like a Jicro, a 
patriot, and a general ; and that for his cool, deliberate, 
skillful, and gallant conduct, in the late battle of Tippe- 
canoe, he deserves the wannest thanks of the nation," 

This high enconium came from those whose friends 
and neighbors had participated in the late campaign, and 
who were consequently familiar with its details, and'with 
the merits of the commander. 

War was declared against Great Britain in June, 1812, 
Prior to this event, British agents had, for a long time' 
been tampering with the discontented Indians within o\n 
territory, and had bribed them with presents, and furnish- 
ed them with fire-arms, to induce them to renew hostili- 
ties against our country. The crafty and daring TecunT- 
the, too, was once more in the field. Urged on by his 
savage eloquence, by their own native love for war and 
plunder, and by the atrocious intrigues of foreign agents^ 
the northwestern Indians again raised the war-whoop, and* 
commenced their barbarous system of warfare. Their 
cruel murders and depredations became of frequent oc- 
currence, and the wailings of bereaved mothers and 
orphans, and the bitter complaints of those who had es- 
caped from the conflagration of their plundered homes, 
excited the commissoiation of our hardv borderers, and 



roused a general feeling of indignation. Such was the 
state of excitement in our frontier seltlennents in the 
summer of 1812. 

Immediately after the declaration of war, our western 
governors promptly adopted every measure in their power, 
for the defence of their respective states and territories. 
But conscious of the great abilities and experience of 
Harrison, they placed the utmost reliance on his counsels, 
and looked to him as their leader, underwhom they might 
hope for success against the common enemy. He aided 
Governor Edwards in placing the frontier of Illinois in a 
posture of defence, and soon after, was invited by Gov- 
ernor Scott, of Kentucky, to a conference in relation to 
the Kentucky troops, which had been raised for the de- 
fence of the frontier. He accepted this invitation, and 
met Governor Scott at Frankfort ; where he was received 
with the acclamations of the people, and with the highest 
civil and military honors. These public marks of the 
high estimation in which Harrison was held by the peo- 
ple, were shortly after followed by proofs still more flat- 
tering, of their confidence in his patriotism, his abilities, 
and his military skill. 

Governor Scott had levied an armed force of more than 
five thousand militia and volunteers, commanded by some 
of the ablest men and most experienced officers in the 
State. Two thousand of these troops were ordered for 
immediate service ; and they had no sooner learned that 
they were destined to march to the aid of their fellow- 
countrymen on the frontier, than they at once unani- 
mously expressed the most earnest desire to be placed 
under the command of Governor Harrison. This desire 
was responded to by the wishes of the people throughout 
the State. The laws of Kentucky, however, would not 
permit any other than a citizen, to hold a command in 
the state militia. In this dilemma, Governor Scott con- 
sulted with the venerable Shelby, (the governor elect,) 
the Hon. Henry Clay, and other distinguished citizens of 
the state ; and by their unanimous advice he gave Harri- 
son a brevet commission of major-general in the Ken- 
tucky militia, with express authority to take command of 
the gallant troops about to march to the frontier. This 
was a bold and unprecedented measure, but one that gave 

3 



18 

unbounded satisfaction to both soldiers and citizens, and 
one fully warranted by the peculiar exigences of the case- 
These facts speak volumes in favor of the remarkable 
popularity which General Harrison enjoyed in a popula- 
tion of brave and chivalric people. • 

About this time the cowardice and imbecility of Gen- 
eral Hull tamely surrendered to the British the important 
post of Detroit, with the gallant force which composed its 
garrison. This event spread consternation, far and wide, 
through the western country, and greatly increased the 
difficulty and arduous nature of Governor Harrison's du- 
ties. He immediately organized the brave troops under 
his command, and commenced a course of rigid discipline 
and military training ; with the confident hope of re- 
trieving the disasters consequent upon the cowardly 
surrender of Detroit. 

Soon after, he was appointed a brigadier-general in the 
service of the United States. But, as the chief command 
of the western army was conferred on General Winches- 
ter, Harrison declined accepting the commission tendered 
him, and gave up his command, to return to Indiana, and 
resume the duties of his territorial government. 

General Winchester was an old revolutionary soldier, 
and a brave and meritorious officer ; but one who was not^ 
like Harrison, possessed of the enthusiastic confidence of 
the army. Governor Harrison exerted every effort in his 
power to reconcile the troops to this change. But soon 
after he left them, their displeasure at having been de- 
prived of their favorite commander was not confined to 
murmurs, but created dissatisfaction and almost mutiny. 

No sooner was the President made aware of the con- 
dition of the army, and of the almost unanimous wishes 
of the western people, than he immediately appointed 
Harrison, in place of Winchester, commander-in-chief of 
the north-western army. The despatch conveying this 
appointment, overtook him on his way to Indiana^ and he 
returned without delay to the army. 

The powers conferred on Harrison, ai comraander-in- 
cbief of the north-western army, were of great extent, 
and he was left to exercise them according to his own 
unrestricted judgment. In the despatch containing this 
appointment, dated September 17th, 1812, the Secretary 
of War says : — "You will command such means as may 



he practicable — exercise your own discretion, and hct in 
all cases according to your own judgment" — thus con- 
ferring upon him extraordinary and almost unlimited 
powers. We refer to this, merely that we may here no- 
tice the remarkable fact, that, though vested with unusual 
powers. General Harrison was never known, during the 
whole of his command, to exercise his authority in an 
unjust or oppressive manner. His measures were ener- 
getic, but always qualified by his characteristic modera- 
tion and humanity, and by a regard for the feelings of 
€ven the meanest soldier in his camp. 

The duties that devolved on General Harrison, in his 
'liew station, were arduous beyond description. The 
troops under his command, though brave, were mostly in- 
experienced and undisciplined recruits ; and the army was 
badly equiped, and nearly destitute of baggage and mili- 
tary stores. With these limited means, and under these 
tmfavorable circumstances, he was required to defend an 
immense extent of frontier, stretching along the shores of 
the great northern lakes, whose numerous harbors and 
rivers were easy of access to the enemy. In addition to 
this, the roads leading to those points which most requir- 
ed defence, were nearly impassable, and lay, for hundreds 
of miles, through a wilderness swarming with hostile In- 
dians, and through gloomy and dangerous swamps, where 
the troops, though little encumbered with baggage, could 
advance but slowly, and with great fatigue. Under all 
these dificulties, the spirits of the soldiers were sustained 
by the prescence and example of their favorite command- 
er — who animated them in their fatigues, and cheerfully 
endured the same hardships and privations which they 
encountered. 

The autuni and early part of the winter were spent in 
active and laborious preparations for the approaching sum- 
mer campaign — roads were cut, depots formed, forts built, 
and a few expeditions were sent out to protect our out- 
posts, and keep the enemy in check. One of these expe- 
ditions, consisting of a detachment of six hundred men, 
under Lieutenant Colonel Campbell, was sent by General 
Harrison against a fortified Indian village, from which the 
troops had suffered much annoyance. This enterprise 
was conducted with great skill and success. The village 
was attacked in the most gallant manner, and, after a des- 



20 

perate action of more thuu an hour, was earned at the 
point of the bayonet. From the general order issued by 
Harrison, on the return of this expedition, we make the 
following extract, which will convey some idea of the hu- 
mane and generous feelings, that have always character- 
ized both his public and private conduct. After awarding 
these gallant troops the high meed of praise their bravery 
had won, he goes on to say, — "But the character of this 
gallant detachment, exhibiting as it did, perseverance, forti- 
tude, and bravery, W'ould, however, be imcomplete, if in the 
midst of victory, they had forgotten the feelings of humani- 
ty. It is with the sincerest pleasure that the General 
has heard, that the most punctual obedience was paid to 
his orders, in not only saving all the women and children 
but in sparing all the warriors who ceased to resist; and 
that even when vigorously attacked by the enemy, the 
claims of mercy prevailed over every sense of their own 
danger, and this heroic band respected the lives of their 
prisoners. Let an account of murdered innocence be 
opened in the records of heaven, against our enemies alone. 
The American soldier will follow the example of hisgov- 
erment ; and the sword of the one will not be raised 
against the fallen and helpless, nor the gold of the other 
be paid for the scalps of a massacred enemy." What a 
contrast do these noble sentiments present to the atrocious 
conduct of the British General, Proctor — who, at the cruel 
massacre at Rasin river, basely permitted unresisting 
prisoners of war to be butchered, by his savage allies, in 
cold blood. 

Late in the season the army went into winter quarters 
at their strongly fortified position on the banks of the 
Miami, near the rapids, which was called Camp Meigs, in 
honor of the patriotic governor of Ohio. I-caving the ar- 
my at that station, General Harrison proceeded to Cincin- 
natia, to procure reinforcements of men, and su[)plics of 
provisions and military stores, for the approaching cam- 
paign. But early in the spring, intelligence was received 
that the British were making extensive preparations, and 
concentrating a large force of regular soldiers, Canadians, 
and Indians, to besiege Fort Meigs. On obtaining this 
information, General Harrison hastened to his camp, and 
exerted the most strenuous] efforts to prepare for this 
threatened attack of the enemy. His presence cheered 



21 

the troops, and he inspired them with iVcbh ardor, on llir 
approach of the enemy, by an eloquent address, in which 
he alkided modestly, bnt in the most animating manner, 
to the neighboring battle-field, where (Jencral Wayne 
had gained the brilliant victory of the Miami, and where 
he himself had won the brightest of his earlier laurels. 

On the 28th of April, IS 13. the scouts brought in in- 
telligence of the ;;rrival of the enemy. On the same day 
a strong force of British and Indians ascended the river 
ju boats, and disembarked, partly on the southeastern 
shore, and partly on the opposite side of the river. Here 
they immediately commenced tlie construction of three 
powerful batteries. Corresponding traverses were made 
within the Fort, and e-vory approach of ihe enemy was 
met and foiled, with consummate skill and bravery. 

On the first of May, the batteries of the enemy being 
completed, they opened a heavy cannonading, which wus 
returned with equal vigor from the Fort. This cannon- 
ading w^as continued without intermission for five days ; 
but owing to the skilful dispositions of General Harrison, 
it was attended with very litde loss on our side. 

On the fifth of May, a gallant reinforcement of Ken- 
tuckians, under General Clay, fought their way to the 
camp; and Harrison availing himself of this fortunate 
occurrence, promptly ordered a sortie to be made from the 
Fort to destroy the batteries of the enemy. The detach- 
ment ordered to this service, consisted of three hundred 
and fifty men, a part of whom were regulars, and (he re- 
mainder volunteers and Kentucky militia, under the 
command of Colonel Miller, of tlie United States army. 
These brave troops attacked a body of Biitish regulars 
and Indians, of mor« than double their number'; but the 
impetuosity of their charge was irresistible, and after a 
severe struggle, they drove the enemy from the batteries. 
They spiked the cannon, took a large number of prisoners, 
and having fully accomplished their object, returned in 
triumph to the Fort. This sortie was one of the most 
sanguinary and desperate actions fought during the whole 
war — and its brilliant success was richly merited, by the 
mtrepid gallantry of the brave troops engaged in it. 

Thwarted by the skilful dispositions of Harrison, and 
by the battle, or rather succession of battles, fought on 
the fifth. Proctor was compelled to abandon the siege of 



Fort Meigs ; and on the eighth of May, he broke up his 
camp, and retreated in disappointment and disgrace. 

Thus terminated the glorious defence of Fort Meigs. 
Harrison, soon after, left General Clay in command of 
that important post, and, unwearied in his exertions, pro- 
ceeded to more difficult and arduous duties, at other ex- 
posed stations- 

The unceasing efforts of the British, and the restless 
spirit of Tecumthe, allowed our troops but little time to 
recover from their severe fatigues. In less than two 
months after the siege of Fort Meigs had been abandoned, 
the Indians assembled a formidable body of more than 
five thousand warriors, under their most noted chiefs, and 
again threatened an attack on th:it fortress. On receiving 
this intelligence, General Harrison, with a small body of 
regnlars, hastened to Fort Meigs, by forced marches, and 
fortunately arrived there before the enemy. Leaving a 
reinforcement with General Clay, he returned without 
delay to his more active duties. 

Daring the whole of this interesting campaign, the 
vigilence and the intrepidity of General Harrison, with 
the bravery of his soldiers, enabled him to kee]i a far 
superior force of the enemy in check, and to protect the 
wide extent of our frontier. 

At about the period when the enemy invested Fort 
Meigs for the second time, they made a desperate attack 
on Fort Stephenson, a temporary depot at Lowor San- 
dusky, which was bravely and successfully defended by 
Major Croghan, of the regular service. 

We lay before our re^iders the following short extracts 
from an address to the public, relative to this affair, which 
was voluntarily published by the general, field, and staff 
officers of General Harrison's army. After expressing 
their "regret and surprise, that charges as improper in 
form as in substance, should have been made against 
General Harrison, during tlie recent investment of Lower 
Sandusky," they go on to say :— "He who believes that 
with our disposable force, and under the circumstances 
which then occurred. General Harrison ought to have 
advanced upon the enemy, must be left to correct his 
opinion in the school of experience, 

"On a review of the course then adopted, we are de- 
cidedly of the opinion, that it was such as was dictated by 



23r 

military wisdom, and by a due regard to our circum- 
stances, and to the situation of the enemy. * * * * And 
with a ready acquiescence, beyond tlie mere claims ot' 
military duty, we are prepared to obey a general, whose 
measures meet our most deliberate approbation, and 
merit that of his country." 

The chivalrous and noble-spirited Croghan, who was- 
one of the signers of the above address, about the same 
time published another paper on this subject, dated from 
Lower Sanc^sky. in which he says : — "1 have with much 
regret seen in some of the public prints such misrepresen- 
tations respecting my refusal to evacuate this post, as are 
calculated not only to injure me in the estimation of 
military men, but also to excite unfavorable impressions 
as to the propriety of General Harrison's conduct relativo 
to this affair. 

"His character as a military man is too well established 
to need my approbation or support. But his public ser- 
vice entitles him at least to common justice. This affair 
does not furnish cause for reproach. If public opinion 
has been lately mis-led respecting his late conduct, it 
will require but a moment's cool, dispassionate reflection, 
to convince them of its propriety. The measures re- 
cently adopted by him, so far from deserving censure, are 
the clearest pi oofs of his keen penictration and able 
generalship.^' 

Disappointed in their hopes of plunder, and dispirited 
by the numerous defeats they had sustained, the savage 
allies of the British had become discontented ; the second 
siege of Fort Meigs had been abandoned, and gradually 
the enemy entirely withdrew from our territory, and 
concentrated their forces at Maiden, their principal 
stronghold in Upper Canada. It will thus be seen, that 
the skill with which General Harrison had conducted his 
defensive operations, the only resource left him in the 
the face of a superior foe, had been eminently successful ; 
and had not only protected our widely extended frontier, 
but had eventually forced the enemy to retire, mortified 
and humbled by defeat, from our country. 

The activity and enterprise of General Harrison did 
not long permit the enemy to rest, after their retreat from 
our territory. He immediately commenced preparations 
for carrying the war into their own country, and formed 



24 

lii.s plan Tor tliti cajtture oT Maiden, and the conquest of 
Upper Canada. 

Commodore Perry had been instructed to co-operate 
with General Harrison, with the fleot under his command, 
and by a happy coincidence, that gallant hero gained his 
glorious victory on Lake Erie, and captured the entire 
squadron of the enemy, just about the time when General 
Harrison had matured his plans for the invasion of 
Canada. 

On the 27ih of September, the troops embarked at 
Sandusky Bay, and advanced towards Maiden, expecting 
to hnd the British and Indians encamped there in full 
force. But upon landing upon the Canada shore, they 
found that Proctor, disheartened by his recent defeats, 
had abandoned that stronghold, after having destroyed the 
fort and navy-yard ; and had retreated with his regulars 
and savage allies to Sandwich. Our army encamped at 
Maiden, and the patriotic troops could not restrain their 
exultation, on having gained possession of the fortress 
from which had issued, for years past, those ruthless bands 
of savages, which had swept over our extended frontier, 
like the wing of the destroying angel, leaving death and 
destruction only in their path. 

Our army advanced rapidly in pursuit of the enemy, 
and overtook them on tho 5th of October, at a place 
which is destined to be remembered, as the battle ground 
of one of the most remarkable and decisive actions fought 
during the war. 

General Proctor, having; had his choice of ground, oc- 
cupied a strong position, flanked on the left by the river 
Thames, and on the right by a swamp, beyond which were 
posted two thousand Indians, under Tecumthe. But Proc- 
tor committed an irretrievable error, in placing his regular 
soldiers in open order, and extending his line by placing 
files at a distance of three or four feet from each other. 

The American army advanced in order of battle, and 
when in the immediate neighborhood of the enemy, the re- 
connoitering parties brought in intelligence of the disposi- 
tions Proctor had made. Harrison, with the rapid decision 
of an able general, instantly availed himself of the error of 
his opponent, and ordered Colonel Johnson to charge the 
enemy's line in column, with his regiment of mounted Ken- 
luckians. The extended and weakened line of the enemy 



25 

could offer but a feeble resistance to the charge of thesa 
gallant troops ; who dashed through liie ranks, with over- 
whelming impetuosity, and formed and attacked them in the 
rear. Panic-struck by this bold and unexpected manoeuvre, 
and at being assailed both in front and rear, the British 
threw down their arms in dismay, and the whole army was^ 
captured, with the exception of a ^ew who escaped by an 
early flight with Proctor. The Indians attacked our troops 
on the left, and fought with great fierceness and daring, un- 
til repulsed with great slaughter. 

The decisive and important battle was thus fought and 
won, in a space of time almost incredibly short, and with a 
very trifling loss only on our side. All the baggage of the 
enemy, and their valuable military stores, together with the 
official papers of Proctor, fell into our hands ; and several 
pieces of brass cannon, which had been taken from the 
British in our revolutionary victories, but which Hull had 
shamefully surrendered at Detroit, were again captured from 
our ancient foe. 

The united force of the British regulars and Indians en- 
gaged in this battle, amounted to more than 2800 — the 
number of our troops were less than 2500 — and those were 
principally militia and volunteers. The venerable Governor 
Shelby commanded the Kentucky volunteers in this battle, 
and General Cass, the present secretary of war, and the 
heroic Perry, acting as volunteer aids to General Harrison. 
This brilliant victory, following up the capture of the fleet 
on Lake Ei-Ie by the gallant Perry, entirely destroyed the 
force of the enemy in Upper Canada, and put an end to the 
war on our northv/estern frontier. 

On receiving the news of this glorious event, the thanks 
of Congress were expressed to General Harrison in the 
warmest manner. Among many others, v/hose grateful 
feelings found utterance on this occasion, the Hon. Langdon 
Cheves observed on the floor of Congress, that — "The 
victory of Harrison tvas such as would have secured to a 
Roman general in the best days of the Republic, the honors 
of a triumph." A sentiment which was fully responded to, 
in the cornplimeniary notices which he received from every 
part of the Union. 

Having entirely defeated the enemy in Upper Canada, 
General Harrison advanced with a part of his army, to the 
Niagarr frontier, and thence to Sackett's Harbor, where he 

4 



26 

left the troops, and proceeded to the seat of e;overnmenf. 
On his way thither, he passed through New YorK and 
Philadelphia ; in which cities he was received with the most 
flattering marks of public honor and distinction. After the 
necessary delay of a few day- at Washington, General Har- 
rison proceeded to Ohio, where important duties required 
his presence. 

In the plan for the ensuing campaign, to the surprise and 
regret of the public, General Harrison was designated for a 
service, far inferior to that which he had a right to expect. 
Regardless of the memorable victories which this gallant 
and experienced officer had won, and unmindful of the va- 
rious and important services which he had rendered to his 
country, the Secretary of War saw fit to assign to him the 
command of a district, where he would be compelled to re- 
main inactive, while others were appointed to those more 
ardouus duties, which he had heretofore fulfilled with so 
much honor to himself and to the nation. As if siill un- 
satisfied with this egregious insult which he had offered to 
General Harrison, the secretary of war, on the 25th of 
April, 1814, appointed a subordinate officer to a separate 
command within his district, and notified him to that effect. 
On the receipt of this notification. General Harrison instant- 
ly addressed a letter to the secretary, tendering his resigna- 
tion, with a notification thereof to the President. As soon 
as Governor Shelby heard of the resignation of General 
Harrison, he lost no time in addressing t"he President in his 
usual forcible terms, to prevent his acceptance of it ; but 
unfortunately for the public interests, the President was 
then on a visit to Virginia, to which place the letters from 
General Harrison and Governor Shelby were forwarded, 
and that of the latter was not received until after the Secre- 
tary, Armstrong, without the previovs consent of the Presi- 
dent, had assumed to himself the high prerogative of accept- 
rng the resignation. The President expressed His regret 
that the letter of Governor Shelby had not been received 
earlier, as in that case the valuable services of General 
Harrison would have been preserved to the nation in the 
ensuing campaign."* 

In this r»rsignation. General Harrison evinced the true 
patriotism and disinterestedness, which have always marked 
his conduct. He would cheerfully have devoted his ser- 

'Dawson 



27 

vices to his country, even in an appointment inferior to that 
which should have been assigned to him — but he was too 
higli-principled (o retain his rank, by yitdding assent to a 
measure, which he considered to be subversive of m'ditary 
order and discipline ; and though his own fortune had been 
shattered by the neglect of his private affairs, for the benefit 
of the public, yet ho scorned to receive the pay and emolu- 
ments of his office, when he was no longer permitted to 
perform its duties actively and honorably. 

It would be difficult, at this period, to trace out the true 
motives that induced the secretary of war to the unjustifiable 
course to be pursued in this aflair. But some knowledge 
of those events of the war in which he bore a part, with a 
little insight into human nature, would suggest that the 
leading causes which prompted him, were the envy and 
jealousy, which a narrow-minded man would naturally feel, 
on contrasting his own feeble eilbrts, and abortive attempts, 
with the consummate skill, tlie brilliant victories, and the 
almost uniform successes of another. That he had acted in 
an arbitrary and unwarrantable manner, was afterv/ards clear- 
ly proved. And in the investigation which took ])lace in 
Congress in the winter of 1816-17, it became so evident 
that General Harrison had been treated with great injustice 
by the war departm.ent, that a resolution giving him a gold 
medal and the thanks of Congress., was passed, with but 
one dissenting voice in both houses of Congress. 

The leading events in the campaigns of 1812-13, — the 
gallant defence of Fort Meigs, and the decisive victory of 
the Thames, are lasting memorials of General Harrison's 
military genius. Yet, for these isolated actions, he de- 
serves far less praise than for the skilful operations, and the 
Fabian policy, which led to tliese and other successes. The 
prudent care and indefatigable exertions, by which he pro- 
vided for his army in a wild and devastated country — the 
promptness and unwearied activity, with which he met and 
defeated the schemes of his antagonists — and the admiaable 
skill, with which he held in check an enemy far superior in 
num.bers, and with a small force protected an extended line 
of frontier, and guarded the lives and property of thousands 
of his fellow-citizens, betokened a genius of the highest or- 
der, with a vigorous mind constantly on the alert. 

Soon after his resignation, in the summer of 1814, Mr. 
Madison evinced his unabated confidence in the .abilities and 
integrity of General Harrison, by appointing him to treat 



23 

villi ihe lodiaas. in conjuDCtkia with his old cocapiHOiw in 
HVBS, GovenxM- Sbeibj and General Cass. Aod in tbe 
feDowuig rear, lie vats placed at tbe head of anotfa^- com- 
missioQ. appointed lo treat vith the nordt-v^teni tribes. 
The adranfaeeoBs treaties made in boih tltese cases, afford- 
ed nev instances c^ tbe un^iin^ success, that has adu^vs 
attended General Harrison "s neepciations uiib ibe Indians. 

In ISlD, he vas e'ecied, by a lai^e majcHiij, a m^nber 
of the House of Representatives in Coi^Fess, from Ohio. 
Id tius staticm he s^red. sreailT to his owz honor, and to 
the sads&c^ion of his ccmsdosents., «Dui 1519 : vh«i, on 
the ex}Hiatioo of ias term o£ s«Tiee, bo was chosen to the 
Senaos of the State Lecislatnre. 

In 1524, he vas elected a S^iatcM- ol Use Uni:ed Siaie* 
from Ohio. While serrins in this h^ st?*" - -^ :-r- 
manded onirersd respect. His views as » s 
hberal and extended, — isis remarkable readine^ L- f 
soon lendesed him a prcMninent monber, and : > 
and impassioned doquence., and classical fdicii; mira- 
tion viih vbich he enforced his sT^wofsits. _ bim 

much inSoence- 

In 1 S^. be \ras appcinied by Mr. AcaE$ Envcy Extra- 
ordinarT and Minister PlenipoteniiarT to the Republic of 
C<dambia. He accepted this appointment, and repaired, 
vithoot dday, to the scene of his duties, wb^e he vas re- 
ceived with ereiT demonstration of respect. He foond 
thb uidappj coontiy in a de^oiable con«tition — ihe people 
ignorant of tbdr li^rts, and afanost in a state of aKarchy, 
and Bohrar ^pvenily aboot to assniae tbe despotic pover 
of a nuliiarv dictator. Shocked ai dais stale of things. 
viih the franknes of an old soldier, he vrote bis celebrated 
letter to Bofirar, Crom vlucb. as ve bare not space f«- the 
vhole leaer, ve take tbe liberty of quoting tbe foBovisg 
extracts : 

*'I contend," said Ge^zr£ Uzrr.s:z. -lisai ihe stroDses? 
of dl coTemments is ihz: -^zic'j. is ^:^5t free. We con- 
sider that of the Cniied Siaies as ±e s^oiicesi. precisely 
l i e ca n s e it is the most free. Ii possesses the faculties. 
eqodj to |HX>cect itsdf from fbreisn force, or iaiemal con- 
TidaoBS. In both it has been snfficienthr tried. Innocoan- 
try on earth voold an vned of^ositioa to the lavs be 
soMja- or more effl b umD y pot dovn. Not so much from 
the terrors of ibe goiDotine and the pbbel^ as from the 
voQsed de<efnni(6oa of the natioo. eshibitinj their 



strengib, and conviucir.g die factious that their cause was 
hopeless." • * * * 

•'In bestov\ing the pahii of merit, the world has becomf; 
wiser than formerly. The successful warrior is no longer 
regarded as entitled to the first place in the temple of fame. 
Talents of this kind have become too common, nnd too of. 
ten used for mischievous purposes, to be regarded as they 
once were. In this enlightened £ge, the n)ere hero of the 
field, and the successful leader of armies, may, for the mo- 
ment, attract attention. But it will be such as is beslov.ed 
on the passing meteor, wi-.ose blaze is no longer remember- 
ed, when it is no longer seen. To be esteemed eminently 
great, it is necessary to be eminently good. The qualities 
of the hero and the general must be devoied to the advan- 
tage of mankind, before he will be permitted to assume the 
title of their benefactor ; and the siaiion which he v.ill hold 
in their regard and affections will depend, not upon the 
number and splendor of his victories, but upon the results 
and the use he may make of the influence he acquires from 
them." 

"If the fame of our Washington depended upon his mili- 
tary achievements, would the common consent of the world 
allow him the pre-eminence he possesses .' The victories at 
Trenton, Monmouth, and York, brilliant as they were, ex- 
hibiting as they certainly did the highest grade of military 
talents, are scarcely thought of. The source of the vener- 
ation aiid esteem which is entertained for his character, by 
every description of politicians, the aionarchists and aristo- 
crat, as well as the republican, is to be found in his unde- 
viating and exclusive dcvotedness to the interests of his 
country. No selfish consideration was ever suffered to in- 
trude itself into his miiid. For his country he conquered ; 
and the unrivalled and increasing prosperity of that country 
is constantly adding fresh glon.' to his name." 

We regret that our limits will not permit us to insert the 
whole of this vigorous and beautiful production. But the 
few passages we have quoted, contain a fair specimen of the 
noble sentiments which characterize this letter, and give evi- 
dence of the pure republican principles, which has ever dis- 
tinguished this eminent statesman. 

General Harrison remained in Colombia but a short lime, 
having been recalled by the late administration, soon af- 
ter it came into power. 

Since his return from his mission, he has lived in com- 



30 

I'arolivs reiirement, in Ohio, ihe state of his odopiion. 
'\Viih the most enticing opportuniues of accunnulating wealth, 
during his long government of Indiana, ar^d superintendcncy 
of Indian affairs, he acquired none ; his honest and scrupu- 
lous integrity was proof against the golden temptations. 
His time and best energies were devoted to the service of 
his country, and liis own interests were ever, with him, a 
secondary consideration. He therefore retired without the 
spoils of ofhce, and with only a competency barely sufficient 
for his support ; but rich in a reputation undimined by a 
single tarnish, and in the honor and respect of ail his fellow 
citizens. 

General Harrison is now sixty-six years of age ; (about 
six years younger than President Jackson ;) but such have 
been the activity and temperate liabits of his past life, that 
he enjoys his moral and physical energies in remarkable 
vigor. In person he is tall and thin ; his features are irreg- 
ular, but his eyes are dark, keen and penetrating ; his ibre- 
head is expansive ; his mouth peculiarly indicative of firm- 
ness and genius ; and his countenance is Irgbly expressive 
of intelligence and benevolence. His manners are plain, 
frank and unassuming, and his disposition is cheerful, kind 
and generous, almost to a fault. In his private Intercourse, 
he is beloved and esteemed by all who knovv him. In the 
various civil and military offices he has held, he h-.!s always 
been moderate and forbearing, yet firm and true to hh trust. 
No other commander has ever been more popular with our 
militia, and the true secret of this cannot be better explained 
than by his own reply, when asked how he had gained this 
influence : "By treating them," said he, "with affection 
and kindness, by always recollecting that tl.ey were my 
fellow citizens, whose feelings I was bound to respect ; and 
by sharing with them, on every occasion, the hardshi})3 
which they were obliged to undergo." 

In the republican institutions of our couutry, birth and 
parentage are comparatively of very little importance ; and 
no candidate for public favor can be found thereon the 
slightest claim to the respect or the support of his fellovv- 
cilizens. We have ha))pily shaken off the thralling preju- 
dices of the old world, and a title to office and honorable 
distinction is not with us hereditary ; but every man must 
earn his own good name, and his claim to the favor of the 
people, by his own good deeds. Yet, aware as every one 
must be, of the powerful influence of early education, it is 



31 

worthy of remark, as weii as gratifj ing to know, that a can- 
didate for pubhc office, in whom we feel an interest, passed 
all the early years of his life with the brightest examples 
constantly before him ; and under the parental tuition of one 
of those illustrious patrots, whose memory is revered by 
every true-hearted American. It is pleasing to know, that 
his first political sentiments were imbibed in a school of the 
purest republican principles. And when we trace up the 
career of this individual, frotn the spring-time of his youth, 
to the summer of his manhood and to the early autumn of 
his years, and see those principles closely adhered to 
throughout, we can scarcely resist the conviction that his 
future course will be consistent with the past ; and that, 
with matured abilities, he will be still more conspicuous for 
his republican principles, his moderation in office, his firm 
integrity, and his extended and enlightened views as a 
statesman. Such were the early advantages of William 
Henry Harrison ; such has been his course thus far through 
life ; and such is now the bright promise, to a realization of 
which we may safely look forward, should the people see 
fit to place him in office. 

The friends of General Harrison found no claim en his 
military services. His own sentiments on this subject we 
have already quoted ; and his friends would scorn, as much 
as he would, any attempt to dazzle a single one of his fellow 
citizens by the glory of his military renown, brilliant though 
it be. They would rather point to his numerous civil ser- 
vices, in the forty years he has devoted to his country ; to 
the various and important offices he has so ably filled — in 
the territorial governments, in the Legislature of his own 
state, and in the House of Representatives and Senate of 
the United States ; and to the high order of abilities dis- 
played in his speeches in Congress, in his public acts, and 
in his voluminous public correspondence. And hero we 
take occasion to say, that all bis letters and public papers 
have been exclusively written by himself ; and that so far 
from his having called in the mental aid of another, to pre- 
pare his messages and despatches, as some of our distin- 
guished men have condescended to do, he has never even 
employed an amanuensis, to perform the manual labor of 
his correspondence. His ruling principles through life, 
appear to have been, an ardent love for his country, and an 
earnest desire to serve her best interests ; with a devotion 
to the pure republican maxims of the Revolution, ' ■ 



32 

jin'.vavering and coiHiiSteiit : unlike tlie scheming politicians 
of a more modern school, whose own interest is the polar 
star that {guides them, whatever may betide their country. 

With Tried patriotism, with abilities of the highest order, 
with inte^-rity as pure as the unsullied snow, and with the 
truest republican principles, William Henry Harrison is 
now before his fellow citizens, as a candidate for the highest 
office in their gift. In the long course of his public life, he 
has always been a staunch advocate of popular rights, and 
js therefore truly the candidate of the people. He comas 
before them, not with a crowd of pampered and still-grasp- 
ing officials to intrigue and bribe for him, but with the no- 
ble frankness of an honorable and high-minded man, willing 
and desirous to be judged impartially by his fellow citizens, 
and reac v to abide bv their honest decision. 



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